What even is a morning person?

No matter what you’re doing first thing, there will always be one individual using the excuse that they’re not a morning person. Recently, starting the early shift at half 5 in a leisure centre (working not training), I ask myself ‘who would want to get up out of choice at this time?!’ However, it appears more popular than I originally thought. In my group of friends from my fitness course, there were a couple that always had their workout complete before going to the 9am lecture. Meanwhile, there was me, rolling out of bed at 8 to just arrive on the dot. It doesn’t mean I don’t get any less done in a day but there is that sense of laziness.

Morning

You see it. The devoted people that have their alarms set for 5am for a morning run or gym before work. It can be great ticking off your daily workout while most people still sleep, detoxing the body and that feeling of endorphins to set you up for the day ahead. More often than not, people can go from being in bed to working out within 30 minutes of waking up which can be a shock for the system. Whether it’s a morning run or fitness class. I suppose anything is ok for the body if there is an efficient warm up, but I don’t know how anyone can do it on an empty stomach or straight after eating a quick brekkie. Also, going from being all cosy in bed to freezing temperatures outside (I’m thinking more Scottish mornings) to then be all hot (and probably sweaty) can not be good for the muscles trying to adapt to each drastic change in temp.

Evening

This is going to appear biased because I have always looked forward to exercising after my lectures/ work. I have always found training relaxing, and although it takes my mind off everything and in a way wakens me up, I always am more than likely to fall into a better sleep.

Not always but most fitness classes are in the evening in gyms. In the evening (all personal experiences!) people are more likely to binge eat after exercise in the evening than the morning. I hear people go to a couple of classes a week and then straight to get a takeaway after it because they have ‘earned it’. This is totally a personal choice for people and I don’t want to mock it, but is there really any point when all you are craving is about triple the calories than you have just burned?
In comparison to morning, people will do their morning workout then have a healthy breakfast/ smoothie. (Am I being stereotypical?) Probably because the takeaway restaurant doesn’t open till 4…

High-intensity classes advertise that you continue to burn calories after you have finished your workout. So is it better to do this before you put the body into an 8-hour sleep or first thing in the morning when you are lacking carbs and train on an empty stomach? Articles I have read on the topic seem to contradict others. We could play it safe and do it bang in the middle of the day when your body is at its ‘peak’.
Whenever you do decide to workout, make sure it’s when you feel like you can put in 100% and not just when suits your friend. Follow a time that fits perfectly into your routine. Or just mix it up a little every day!